by Graham Kerr
1 pound cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch strips
3 green onions, sliced
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
¼ teaspoon sugar
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Combine the cucumbers, onions, and garlic in a glass bowl.
Whisk together the soy sauce, oil, vinegar, sugar, allspice, and red pepper flakes.
Pour the dressing over the vegetables, toss, and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Per serving: 28 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 5 g carbohydrate, 2 g protein, 1 g dietary fiber, 227 mg sodium. Exchanges: 1 Vegetable
Eggplant
Solanum melongena
For some people, like my wife, Treena, eggplant is an acquired taste, which perhaps has as much to do with its texture as anything However, it’s possible to reduce its bitterness and, to some degree, its slippery texture.
My planting went in too late to bear fruit. It really pays to get a good start and plant it the moment a patch of soil reaches 70ºF. If the nights drop to 55ºF or below, you’ll need row covers, and you may also need to cover the soil with black plastic or plastic mulch to retain soil warmth.
To get larger fruit, you can carefully prune 2-3 branches on each plant. Large fruit can make it in higher daytime temperatures. Small fruit are better suited to cool-weather areas like mine.
I often use eggplant when I’m changing a meat-centered dish to a vegetarian (or, more accurately, meatless) one. When pressed, eggplant changes from a slippery sponge to a more toothresistant texture—almost like that of a thin slice of meat. And because eggplant absorbs the flavors you add, such as garlic, herbs, and tomatoes, I am able to bypass Treena’s resistance.
The Numbers
Because of its family relationship to the nightshade family, it may in rare cases pose a problem for arthritis sufferers, although the science remains unproven. Still, I like to use it for the benefits drawn from its firm texture, which can satisfy the meat eaters among us who need some coaxing to cross over the meat-and-two-vegetables line to the three-or-morevegetables-on-the-plate club.
For 100 g cooked (3.5 oz; ½ cup): 35 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 9 g carbohydrate, 1 g protein, 2.5 g dietary fiber, 1 mg sodium
Eggplant
Perennial (Zone 10)/Annual in other zones
Water: Heavy, drip irrigation
Sun: Full; shade if over 100ºF
Companion Planting:
PRO: Peas, beans, peppers
CON: Corn, fennel, tomatoes
Pests: Lace bugs, aphids, cutworms, whiteflies
Diseases: Root rot, anthracnose
Soil : Well-drained soil in warm locations, preferably in raised beds; light, sandy loam
Fertilizer: Fish emulsion every 3-4 weeks
pH: 5.5-6.8
Varieties: Black Beauty (deep purple), Ichiban (long, easier to grow in hot weather)
Plant Care: Pinch off branch tips when plant is 6 feet tall; keep fruit one to a branch for larger size
Zones: 5-12 (perennial in Zone 10, where the plants can survive the winter)
Planting: Seed ¼-½ inch deep (indoors), 4-6 weeks before last frost; put transplants out when temperature exceeds 70ºF, 3-5 inches apart, and then thin to 18-24 inches
Germinate: 10-15 days
Harvest: From seed, 100-140 days; from transplant, 50-75 days
Rotation: Should follow beans or peas if possible
Edible: Fruit
EGGPLANT
Basic Preparation
To overcome Treena’s dislike of this splendid plant, I cut ½-inch-thick slices across the girth and dust with salt (about ¼ teaspoon per slice, which will be rinsed off later). Then I press the pieces between two plates (or trays), weigh it down with a 2- to 3-pound weight and leave it for 1 hour. The salt leaches out the somewhat bitter juices. Then I rinse and dry the pressed slices with paper towels. If the eggplant is to be broiled or pan-fried, drench lightly in a little flour mixed with smoked paprika and a spritz of olive oil to give it a deeper flavor and color.
MEDITERRANEAN ROASTED EGGPLANT
This recipe makes an excellent entrée, as a centerpiece for your meal instead of meat. It also works great as a side dish. (Just cut the serving size in half to make eight servings instead of four.)
SERVES 4
2 small eggplants, about 4-inches in diameter
1 cup low-sodium pizza sauce
¼ cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 12-inch baking pan with olive oil.
Remove the stem ends and slice the eggplant into ¾-inch slices. Lay the eggplant in the prepared pan in a single layer. Spoon pizza sauce on each slice. Bake 30 minutes.
Stir the yogurt and garlic together. Drizzle the sauce in thin lines on each of the eggplant slices before serving (you can do this easily by putting the sauce in a plastic squirt bottle).
Per serving: 95 calories, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 18 g carbohydrate, 4 g protein, 9 g dietary fiber, 275 mg sodium. Exchanges: 3 Vegetable
RATATOUILLE
This was the classic way to serve zucchini and eggplant even before the movie! This is our all-time-favorite summer vegetable combination, made hugely better because the main ingredients come straight from the garden!
SERVES 6
2 medium (1-pound) eggplants, cut into
2-inch cubes
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 sweet onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
4 garlic cloves, bashed and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into ½-inch strips
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into
½-inch strips
3 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 cups peeled, seeded, and diced fresh tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Place the eggplant cubes in a baking dish, spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray and bake 20 minutes or until tender. Set aside.
Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a high-sided skillet over medium-high. Sauté the onions 2 minutes, add the garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the bell peppers and zucchini, and cook about 10 minutes until wilted. Add the tomatoes, oregano, salt, and black pepper, and cook 10 minutes.
Stir in the eggplant and simmer 10 minutes more or until everything is tender. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, parsley, and basil, and stir.
Serve hot or at room temperature as a side dish. For a main dish, spoon over toasted Italian bread, polenta, pasta, or rice.
Per serving: 127 calories, 3 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 24 g carbohydrate, 1 g protein, 3 g dietary fiber, 332 mg sodium. Exchanges: 5 Vegetable
ROASTED EGGPLANT AND RED PEPPER SANDWICH
This is my all-time-favorite sandwich, but Treena truly hates it, so I indulge only occasionally and to compensate for her absence in my life when she is away with friends.
If you have a hinged compression (panini) grill, then please use it to toast the filling and the bread.
SERVES 4
8 small slices French or Italian bread, toasted
Extra-virgin olive oil cooking spray
2 garlic cloves, cut in half
1 medium eggplant, cut into ½-inch slices
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sliced roasted red peppers
Preheat the broiler. Lay the bread on the broiler pan, coat lightly with extra-virgin olive oil cooking spray, and toast lightly on both sides. Rub the top of each with the garlic and set aside.
Set the oven to 450°F. Grease a baking sheet.
Arrange the eggplant slices in the prepared sheet and coat lightly with the cooking spray. Season with salt and black pepper. Roast 20 minutes or until tender and caramelized.
Cover each slice of bread with the roasted eggplant and lay the roasted red pepper strips over the top. Give each one a quick spritz of the cooking spray and serve.
Per serving: 250 calories, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 49 g carbohydrate, 10 g protein, 8 g dietary fiber, 779 mg sodium. Exchanges: 2 Starch, 1 Vegetable
Fava Bean
Vicia faba
Growing my own fava beans took what I thought about them to a whole new level.
In Britain, they are well known as broad beans, which indeed they are! They are a better buy when grown in the garden than bought in the store because the pods are huge and inedible, which makes the eventual bean quite costly.
In England, we would cook the relatively young bean in a white sauce—the outer jacket on the inner bean was still tender, and they were quite a treat.
But it was in Greece that fava made their mark as a traditional rite of passage in the early spring. Everyone served them with garlic, peppers, and heaps of oregano and feta cheese. What a wonderful thing seasons are!
My favas grew very rapidly in a warm, sunny patch. The pods began to emerge as the blossoms dropped, leaving a black furry blob that looked suspiciously like mold, but it wasn’t! I let my pods grow and grow until supersize, 8-10 inches. The problem was that they developed an extra greenish gray skin on each bean that was quite tough. Next year I’ll harvest them earlier.
It’s important not to overwater favas. Water just before the soil dries out. Keep the soil moist during flowering and pod formation.
The Numbers
If your relatives came from the Mediterranean, check on their allergic reaction to favas, called favism. It is rare but genetically transmitted.
For each 100 g boiled (3.5 oz; ½ cup) mature beans: 110 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 20 g carbohydrate, 8 g protein, 5 g dietary fiber, 5 mg sodium
For each 100 g boiled (3.5 oz; ½ cup) immature beans: 62 calories, 0.5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 10 g carbohydrate, 5 g protein, 4 g dietary fiber, 41 mg sodium
Fava Bean
Water: Don’t overwater
Sun: Full
Companion Planting:
PRO: Potatoes, cucumbers, corn, strawberries, celery, summer savory
CON: Onions, garlic
Pests: Aphids, bean beetles, flea beetles, leafhoppers, mites
Diseases: Susceptible to blight, mosaic, anthracnose
Soil: Loose, well-drained, good organic content
Fertilizer: Low nitrogen, moderate phosphorus, potassium; top-dress with bonemeal when they bloom
pH: 6.0-6.8
Varieties: Broad Windsor, Aquadulce, Con Amore, Loretta, Sweet Lorane, Windsor Long-Pod
Zones: 3-11
Planting: Early spring, as soon as the ground can be worked, from February to March, depending on climate zone; plant seeds 1-2 inches deep; sow 4-5 inches apart in rows 18-30 inches apart
Germination: 4-10 days
Harvest: 80-100 days
Rotation: Follow bean crops with a high-nitrogen-requiring crop, such as lettuce, squash, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards
Edible: Immature beans
BRUNSWICK STEW
To my taste, the very early part of North American culinary history (fur trappers’ food!) just isn’t correct without either lima or fava beans. While this dish may traditionally be prepared with chicken, it’s a grand kitchen-garden feast when you substitute butternut squash.
SERVES 6
1 pound butternut squash, cut into 6 segments
1 teaspoon nonaromatic olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large sweet onion, cut into 1-inch dice (yield 2 cups)
3 stalks celery, cut into ¼-inch slices (yield 1½ cups)
1 teaspoon diced canned chipotle or
½ teaspoon ground smoked jalapeño chile
1 red bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch slices
2 cups skinned, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
(see page 288)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 cup fresh baby fava beans or lima beans
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 tablespoon arrowroot mixed with
2 tablespoons stock or water (slurry)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Spray the butternut squash pieces with cooking spray, season with salt and black pepper, and roast in a small ovenproof baking dish for 40 minutes, until a thin knife comes out clean.
Heat ½ teaspoon of the oil in a 10½-inch chef’s pan over medium-high. Sauté the onions 3 minutes or until they start to turn translucent. Add the celery, chipotle, and red bell pepper, and cook 3 more minutes. Remove to a plate, and without washing the pan, add the remaining ½ teaspoon oil and heat.
Pour in the tomatoes and sauté for 3 minutes to just brown, then add the stock and Worcestershire sauce. Add the cooked vegetables and the cayenne. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Add the beans and corn, and cook 12 minutes more or until the beans are tender. Stir in the slurry and heat to thicken. Spoon over the butternut squash pieces. Sprinkle with the parsley and basil and serve.
Per serving: 155 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 34 g carbohydrate, 5 g protein, 8 g dietary fiber, 141 mg sodium. Exchanges: 1 Starch, 4 Vegetable
FAVA BEAN SOUP WITH CARROTS
I’ve always enjoyed fava beans, but they must be harvested early to save all the trouble of removing the tough inner bean skins. Paired with very new carrots, this is a perfect example of a FABIS (fresh and best in season) dish for the Skagit Valley in the Pacific Northwest, where both mature at the same time.
SERVES 4
1 teaspoon nonaromatic olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup sliced carrots
2 cups fresh baby fava beans
3 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
(see page 288)
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Sauté the onions 2 minutes. Stir in the carrots and beans. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer 20 minutes, until the carrots are tender.
Add the spinach, salt, and black pepper, and simmer 5 minutes longer.
Per serving: 120 calories, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 31 g carbohydrate, 6 g protein, 6 g dietary fiber, 327 mg sodium. Exchanges: 1½ Starch, 1 Lean Meat, 2 Vegetable
FAVA BEAN SOUP
When the fava beans are full and ready, this is the perfect way to celebrate their arrival. It’s an early-summer gardener’s celebration! If the beans are young, they can be cooked as is. Later on, their pale leathery jackets will need to be removed; just pinch at the “bar” end to remove the tender green beans.
SERVES 6
1 teaspoon nonaromatic olive oil
½ pound sweet onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, bashed and sliced
1 cup chopped fennel bulb or celery
1 (10.75-ounce) can tomato puree
1 quart water
Bouquet garni (recipe follows)
1 pound shucked fresh fava beans or 1
(19-ounce) can, drained
2 cups finely chopped tightly packed stemmed mustard greens
1 pound plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
Heat the oil in a high-sided skillet over medium-high. Sauté the onions and garlic 3 minutes. Add the fennel or celery, tomato pure
e, and water. Bring to a boil, drop in the bouquet garni and beans, and simmer 5 minutes.
Add the mustard greens and tomatoes, black pepper, and salt. Simmer 4 more minutes. Remove the bouquet garni. If using fennel, chop 1 tablespoon of the tender fennel tops (“feathers”) and scatter over the top; if using celery, finely chop some leaves as a garnish.
Bouquet Garni
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3-inch rib of celery
Wrap all the ingredients in cheesecloth and
tie off.
Per serving: 114 calories, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 21 g carbohydrate, 6 g protein, 6 g dietary fiber, 252 mg sodium. Exchanges: 1 Starch, 3 Vegetable, ½ Fat
GREEK PIE
I grant you that this looks tricky, and certainly phyllo pastry isn’t easy, but my handling tips help. As a gracious treat to vegetarian (lactoovo) guests, it’s hard to beat. I have used fresh baby fava beans, but should you be off season and wanting to experience this recipe, you can use canned favas or, in a pinch, lima beans.
Working with Phyllo
Phyllo pastry is generally found in the frozen food section of the supermarket. The package should be thawed overnight in the refrigerator. As you assemble the pie, cover any unused phyllo with a damp cloth to keep it from drying out. If you have long fingernails, be especially careful not to tear holes in the phyllo. Wrap leftover phyllo in wax paper and plastic wrap for storage in either the freezer or the refrigerator.
SERVES 4
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 bunch (about 8) green onions, sliced into
½-inch rounds
½ pound mushrooms, quartered (yield 2 cups)
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice